Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Hansard source

I commence my contribution to the debate on Australia’s involvement in the war in Afghanistan by acknowledging the professionalism and dedication of the members of the Australian defence forces deployed in that theatre of war. Coming as I do from the garrison city of Townsville, I do on a daily basis see and understand those magnificent men and women who put their lives at risk every day for the security of our nation and for peace in our world. All our soldiers are trained to use weapons, but they are also trained to help people who, without the work of the Australian defence forces, would find the quality of life and the freedoms they do enjoy much more illusory.

There will always be critics of Australia’s involvement in any military action. Just last Saturday morning I was privileged to be able to attend, on behalf of the Leader of the Opposition, a commemorative service to acknowledge the commencement of the Korean War some 60 years ago—a war that some people have labelled the ‘forgotten war’. Some people will still challenge Australia’s involvement in that conflict. You have to look no further than the repressive, totalitarian regime that still controls the long-suffering people of North Korea to understand what Australian troops in the early 1950s succeeded in doing for half of the people of the Korean Peninsula. Koreans south of the demilitarised zone lead a life of freedom, with rights in a working democracy that has brought prosperity and relative peace to those citizens. Without the involvement of the United Nations in those years, which included a substantial contingent of Australian forces, all Koreans today would be under the control of that harsh, repressive dictatorship which has no respect for human life or liberty.

Any person on this planet with a conscience would want to avoid any sort of war. But for those who sit in the comfort and security of life in Australia, it is easy to overlook the fact that for some people their liberty and future can only be protected if a stand is taken against aggression and political power. Appeasement never works, and World War II showed that. In September 2002 the Australian parliament supported Prime Minister Howard’s invocation of articles IV and V of the ANZUS treaty to support Australia’s involvement in the war against terror following the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Our original objective in Afghanistan was to combat a clear threat from international terrorism to both international security and our own security. Whilst others in this place have cited the accomplishment of this objective as a reason to bring our troops home, we cannot afford to let Afghanistan again become an open training ground for terrorist organisations. The best way of protecting Afghanistan’s new-found freedom and preventing terrorist organisations returning is to ensure that that country enjoys a democratic, open and peaceful government and also to make sure that the Afghan National Army is well trained, well led and well educated. We can give them the skills and guidance they need to secure freedom and stability for their nation. This is the mission, currently, of the 1,550 ADF personnel serving in Afghanistan.

Our training mission is succeeding. It is making progress. The 4th Brigade is proving to be an increasingly professional force, fighting better and becoming more capable of conducting the complex operations that are needed in that sort of conflict. Over the last couple of years the Afghan security forces, in partnership with the forces of Australia, Holland and the US, have methodically expanded their permanent presence in key population centres in Oruzgan province. This permanent presence has provided the security necessary for the provincial government to be able to start delivering roads and services to its people.

I applaud the leadership shown by John Howard, Peter Reith, Robert Hill, Kevin Rudd, John Faulkner, Tony Abbott and David Johnston in continuing to support Australia’s troops and Australia’s involvement in the conflict in Afghanistan. All of these people and many more have a clear understanding of the objectives and roles of the Australian troops. It is just such a pity that some of those who have grabbed headlines with comments on Australia’s involvement have not yet bothered to be properly briefed by those with all the information on the role, actions and strategies of the Australian troops in Afghanistan. In fact, some people have a very naive view that Australia rarely needs military forces. This sort of approach comes from those who have never, in my view, shown any great consistency in relation to policy issues involving Australia’s future.

It has always been a disappointment to me that the Greens political party, for example, never seem to worry about the rape of native forests in our near neighbours in South-East Asia and the Pacific which supply timber to Australia, whilst they oppose and denigrate logging practices in Australian forests that are some of the best managed in the world. If those practices were allowed to continue in Australia, it would mean that there would be no call for the sort of rape of forests that is occurring in our near northern neighbours. It is that sort of hypocrisy in policy thinking that is repeated in the Greens political party policy approach to the maintenance of Australia’s professional Army and its involvement in conflicts that threaten the peace and security of the world.

Australia’s troops in Afghanistan will return home, as they have done from every other conflict, but they will come back when the job is finished. To bring them back before the job is finished would mean that the sacrifice of 21 Australians would have been in vain. As the wife of one of Australia’s brave soldiers who fell in Afghanistan said:

To pull the troops out now when the job isn’t done, then, really, all those guys did die in vain.

Clearly, our role in Afghanistan has changed since 2001. Australia’s SAS forces were responsible for removing much of the al-Qaeda threat and the Taliban. Their efforts have meant peace and freedom for Afghani civilians, particularly women, that would not have been possible under that repressive regime. The goal is now to rebuild and to make Afghanistan a place where women and children are protected and can progress, with secure, positive and worthwhile futures.

It is interesting to note that in Oruzgan province Australia has helped with 78 school reconstruction projects, over 100 kilometres of roadworks and the disbursement of more than 950 microfinance loans. We have helped to refurbish hospitals. We have assisted in the rehabilitation and operation of 11 health centres and 167 health posts. Indeed, in Afghanistan generally economic growth has averaged 11 per cent per year since 2002. Poppy cultivation has decreased and 20 of the 34 provinces in Afghanistan are now poppy free. Basic health services are now available to some 85 per cent of the population, compared with only 10 per cent under the Taliban regime. Since 2001, primary school enrolments have reached six million. That is up from about one million when the Taliban were in charge. Of those six million enrolments, approximately two million are girls, who were, as has been pointed out in this debate so far, excluded under the Taliban regime. These successes are perhaps small, but they are successes and they would never have occurred without Australia’s involvement and the involvement of other willing nations in the fight against terror in Afghanistan.

I conclude where I started. Those young men and women who join Australia’s armed forces do so because they believe there is a role to play in protecting our country. They are trained to fight and they are trained to become what are universally recognised as some of the best soldiers in the world. They are there to do a job and, when called upon, they do it professionally and bravely and in fulfilment of the hours, days, weeks, months and years of training that have been part of their lives since they entered military service. They are always willing to put their training and skills into action and to ensure that, by their work, the world is a safer and better place.

I salute all of those brave Australians who have at any time served in the defence of our country. As a nation we are honoured by the sacrifice of those who have given their lives in the service of their country, and I do recognise the sadness and heartache for the partners, children, parents and other loved ones of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Yes, our troops will come home, but they will do it when the job is done and not before.